VANCOUVER — A prominent B.C. First Nations leader has been arrested for violating a court order, the same as more than other 100 other activists who have already opposed Kinder Morgan's plans to expand an existing pipeline.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip crossed a police line Thursday on Burnaby Mountain, where the company is conducting technical studies for the Trans Mountain project.
The act of defiance came on the same day a lawyer for the energy giant was back in B.C. Supreme Court applying to have an injunction order extended from Dec. 1 to Dec. 12.
Phillip declared he would get arrested as a matter of principle to support the other "brave and courageous" activists, before clasping hands with other First Nations elders and marching towards the RCMP.
A man beat a native drum and the crowd of supporters sang an indigenous melody as Phillip stepped through dense brush to be escorted away by police.
A lawyer for Kinder Morgan has told a B.C. Supreme Court judge that the company's initial application included incorrect GPS co-ordinates and that the errors could be an issue for the ongoing arrests for civil contempt.
